In what can only be described as a feel-good story, Sidney Moncrief is headed back to Milwaukee as a member of Scott Skiles’s coaching staff. Moncrief has had previous coaching experience both as an assistant and head man. He spent a year apiece as head coach at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in 2000 (with a 4-24 record) and at the NBDL’s Fort Worth Flyers in 2006. His assistant coaching experience was as the shooting specialist for the Golden State Warriors during the latter part of Don Nelson’s most recent tenure. If you saw the Bucks offense last year, you know a man with experience as shooting coach is desperately needed.

Considering Sid the Squid’s playing career (which is Hall of Fame worthy) it’s a bit funny to see him serve as a shooting specialist. Garnering back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards in 1983 and ’84 while also making 4 All-Defensive 1st Teams, Sidney routinely locked down PGs, SGs and SFs and dutifully helped the control the glass as a 6’3″ shooting guard.

However, he was an accomplished offensive player, too, playing for Don Nelson’s 80s Bucks teams so it’s not crazy he’d be on board as an offensive coach. He could easily bring the ball up court, run an offense in a pinch, play off the ball well, and had a more-than-dependable jumper. Moncrief would probably be considered the prototype for today’s shooting guard, if it weren’t for his debilitating injuries and the rise of Michael Jordan.

Bringing on a man of Sidney’s determination and skills can mean nothing but good things for Milwaukee’s players. Particularly, the younger guards Shaun Livingston, Brandon Jennings and Beno Udrih. Hell, maybe even Stephen Jackson, a player with an eerily similar skill set but with a much more volatile attitude, could learn something (discerning shot-selection mayhaps?) from the Squid.